Monthly Newsletter from Disability Services |
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7/26 (Fri): Last Day to WITHDRAW with a "W" for All Graduate 12-Week (Full-Term) Online and On-Campus Summer Courses
- 8/2 (Fri): Last Day to WITHDRAW with a "W" for All Undergraduate 6-Week Online and On-Campus Summer Start II Courses
- 8/4 (Sun): 12-Week Summer Start I Courses End
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8/8 (Thu): Last Day to WITHDRAW with a "W" for All Graduate 6-Week Online and On-Campus Summer Start II Courses
- 8/15 (Thu): 6-Week Online and On-Campus Summer Start II Courses End; Summer Semester Ends
- 8/30 (Fri): Residence halls open for new students
- 8/31 (Sat): Residence halls open for returning students
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Updates from the DS Office |
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Summer 2024 Accommodation letters can now be requested Accommodate!
- Fall 2024 Accommodation letters will be able to be requested at the end of August. We will email you when the semester has opened for requesting
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Remember, your instructors don’t know you have accommodations until you request these letters and accommodations are NOT afforded retroactively. HOW TO REQUEST SEMESTER LETTERS
- Any schedule changes/additions after you've sent letters, you must re-request
- As always, sign up to meet on Accommodate if you have any needs
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Want to work for Disability Services? |
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We're looking for one or two strong Junior/Senior level students who would be interested in working with us as Peer Mentors. This is a newly developed role and will include followup meetings with students and assisting with time management, organization, general studying strategies, accountability, problem-solving, note-taking, reading for comprehension, utilizing online portals (i.e., NOW Dashboard, Blackboard, Outlook, etc.), and syllabi analysis. The duties include planning, training, independent research, reporting, data entry, analysis, and document preparation. May participate in other office duties as assigned by the supervisor.
- Ideal candidates should have a 3.4 or higher GPA, but we're also interested in considering an applicant who has had a bumpy start and has since really turned it around
- If interested, please email Jodi at jodi_rachins@uml.edu
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2023-24 DS Student Survey Results |
Thank you to the 100 students who completed our survey! We finally were able to dive into the useful feedback. Here are a few highlights and improvement plans:
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74% feel our 3-step registration process (using website, filling out the form and having the intake) and utilizing Accommodate is easy. If felt it was difficult, most cited outside documentation and Accommodate “constantly refreshes and erases things” as their top pain points. Many asked for changes to Accommodate to make the process of sending letters smoother. We've made some updates, particularly with menu names and providing directions on how to request letters.
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While 73% have found the campus to be physically accessible, many respondents gave specific responses about areas that need better physical access. This is helpful so we may pass this information along to other important campus stakeholders. The campus is undergoing some large re-paving projects over the summer as well as some elevator work and we have a new reporting system for non-urgent facilities needs on the main page of the DS website!
- 81% found their instructors to be at least somewhat understanding of disabilities, although some lack of understanding of different learners or accommodations, some perpetuate a stigma of disability means not capable. We are continuing to work hard to educate the campus, particularly faculty on disability. Students and professors seem to just email with each other to talk about accommodations. Would you like any assistance from DS with this communication?
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Most students are happy with the Testing Center, although some cite noise, lack of extended hours and no access to the professor as reasons they prefer not to use it. Did you know that instructors are required to provide contact information to the TCs when they approve your exam? Did you know there are earplugs and headsets upon request?
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88% found working with Disability Services to be at least somewhat satisfactory. Most meet with us between one and five times and most students check their email or our website for information. Many are aware of other services/partnerships and 68% would like to get more involved/learn more about disability-related topics like neurodivergence, intersectionality and identity, career events, and organizational support. How can we best get you involved?
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Students who record use their phones. They want more transcription options and subtitles to prerecorded courses. They want more classes to be recorded, especially as they get higher up in their program. This is important feedback for us to bring to faculty meetings. Did you know we can help with transcriptions and captions? The most useful way to study is to use the recordings to re-listen to parts of the lectures and skip around as necessary.
- 95% of respondents felt their accommodations have at least somewhat helped them to succeed academically. YAY!
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General feedback for us to work with: keep working closely to educate instructors and the campus community about disability, particularly need to focus on graduate instructors; some accommodations don't work for some students or students were denied some accommodation requests; students want more communication and want to be surveyed more.
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Podcast: The Disability Dish - the UML Perspective |
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The Disability Dish is now on your favorite podcast platforms! Find us at: Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts.
Episode 16 - We learned a LOT in episode 16 about athletes, sports and disability. Lauren and Jodi were joined by nursing student Catherine Faherty who participates on the U.S. National Women's Sled Hockey Team, Cailin Currie (Merrimack College MA in Higher Education student) who is a two-time Paralympian swimmer, and Jeff Gerson, professor of sports and politics.
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Resources and Miscellaneous |
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Teach Access Grants program, now totaling more than $350,000 since inception, supports educators in creating innovative course materials that develop a workforce skilled in making technology usable by people with disabilities.
Congratulations to English Professor Bridget Marshall and Art and Design Associate Professor Marie Frank.
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Mass. Office of Disability's Client Assistance Program (CAP) hosts a series of three separate workshops over Zoom. The series is aimed at employees and jobseekers with disabilities and their advocates. There is no cost to attendees.
Deciding to Disclose - 8/27 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Learn about the advantages and disadvantages of disclosing your disability at different stages of the employment process.
Reasonable Accommodations in Employment - 8/28 5:30-7 p.m.
This interactive workshop covers the steps people with disabilities should take to identify their essential job functions, supports they may need to fulfill them, and how to request a reasonable accommodation at work.
Disability Discrimination in Employment - 8/29 5:30-7 p.m.
Using real world examples, participants learn how to identify and address disability discrimination in the workplace.
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Apple's accessibility features coming later this year, include:
- Eye Tracking: Users with physical disabilities control iPad or iPhone with their eyes
- Music Haptics: Users who are deaf or hard of hearing experience music
- Vocal Shortcuts: Users perform tasks by making a custom sound
- Vehicle Motion Cues: Users reduce motion sickness in a moving vehicle
These features, and more, combine the power of Apple hardware and software, harnessing Apple silicon, artificial intelligence and machine learning to further Apple’s decades-long commitment to designing products for everyone.
apple.com
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Britain's Alfie Hewett described it as "the best day" of his life after winning the Wimbledon wheelchair singles to complete a career Grand Slam - and then defending the doubles title.
BBC.com
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Anthropologie introduces its first foray into adaptive apparel via a collection of eight of its existing bestsellers reworked to better fit the lives and needs of members of the disabled community.
The idea came about internally, from the URBN Adapt Employee Resource Group, which is dedicated to promoting accessibility and inclusivity for the company’s portfolio of brands, which include Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Free People and Nuuly.
Glossy.co
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Amy Pietrafitta has learned to walk seven times including new prosthetic legs for running, water, high heels, rowing and everyday walking.
As part of a study of a new neuroprosthesis from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that’s fully controlled by the nervous system, her latest “first steps” were different. This time, she was fitted with a bionic leg that was fully connected to her brain, allowing her to walk and move like anyone else. With this new leg, she said, she couldn’t even tell there was a difference.
cnn.com
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Ezra tells the story of how stand-up comedian Max (Bobby Cannavale) faces his own struggles while raising a child with autism (William Fitzgerald) alongside his ex-wife (Rose Byrne) and father (Robert De Niro).
The script was written by Tony Spiridakis, who is a father to a son with autism and who also happens to be Goldwyn’s godson.
And that meant the casting had to reflect reality.
“There was not one moment when we considered casting a neurotypical actor to play Ezra.”
yahoo.com
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And finally, just for joy! |
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We love staying connected with you!
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